Winter has set in and we wake up to a cold, overcast, pewter gray sky. The Blue Jays dine with us this morning and it is noted that no matter how many are up in the pergola they only come down one at a time to eat. I put out the ginger chips that Carl purchased and decided he did not care for. It seems the Blue Jays love them and I notice they are all gone.
The smaller birds are enjoying the frozen blackberries I took out of the freezer and put out in the bird feeder as a Christmas treat for them. I am looking for the Eastern Bluebird I saw the other day for a brief moment, but have not seen since. I guess this bird was definitely lost or I was not identifying it correctly. At any rate here is a painting I did of an Eastern Bluebird.
At any rate I think it is a soup day and upon looking in the veggie draw of our refrigerator I discover some broccoli I purchased three days ago.
This is a fast and easy soup to make and today is the day to make it.
First I put a 14 ounce can of light chicken broth (we are cutting down on our sodium intake) in a medium sized pan and put in 2 medium red potatoes that I have chopped up. If you wash them real well you can leave the skins on.
I bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat to simmer while leaving the cover on. Let it simmer for about eight minutes. I give it one good mash with my potato masher and then add about 3 cups of broccoli florets and 2 cups of skimmed milk. (You can add regular milk should you wish.) Now I bring it back to a simmer again.
Next I put 3 tbsp all purpose unbleached flour into a medium sized bowl and add 2 cups shredded smoked Gouda cheese which I toss together to get the cheese coated.
Now I slowly add this mixture to the soup, stirring until the cheese is melted. I season it with black pepper and now I pour this into bowls. (If we have company for lunch then this recipe will serve 4, but today we do not so I just pour into 2 bowls and put the rest into a glass jar for use within the next 2 or 3 days and store in our refrigerator.)
In the beginning I set aside in a large bowl a 2 cup mix of winter greens such as baby spinach, some cut up romaine lettuce, curly endive and you can even use chicory if you happen to like chicory.)
I top each bowl with cup of these greens and sprinkle some extra shredded Gouda cheese on top. I put the remaining cup of greens into a plastic bag and put in refrigerator for use within the next 2 or 3 days when we finish the soup.
Though I am making this today, this is a good soup to make even in the summer when your organic garden is giving off all these great veggies.
"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime May your day be filled with Peace, Light and Love,
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